


China

by Cherith



Category: Alice In Wonderland - Carroll
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-05
Updated: 2010-01-05
Packaged: 2017-10-05 20:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherith/pseuds/Cherith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a snippet of Alice recognizing the craziness at the Tea Party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	China

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the LJ community Brigits_Flame. China challenge.

It's amazing how quickly one little sound can become so bothersome. It's all about repetition, and even the smallest, quietest, most pleasant sound if repeated often enough at regular intervals can become an nuisance. My party companions seems to take no notice of it, although I do dare to think it could be this very noise that has put them in their current predicament. The first, the one that invited me to this dreadful party in the first place continues rattling on about the wonders of his hat, occasionally pausing in his soliloquies to jot down a note in the small spiral notebook he's keeping in the breast pocket of his jacket. His hat is indeed very wonderful, but I have already learned my mistakes about remarking on such a fine hat, although I cannot help but admit that the quality and size of his hat seems far above what I imagine his station to be. I cannot imagine him among society trying to pass of that hat as his own. And indeed, if he were to try and wear that hat where I come from, I'm quiet sure he would be laughed right back home again.

Our second companion, of equal size and stature as the first, but far furrier and with enormous ears - far larger than any I've seen previously - is chatting consistently with our third companion, unlikely friends they make. They do both share a sense of timidity our first friend in the hat cannot claim, but that does not make their friendship anymore likely. I tried to listen to their conversation, and contribute once or twice, but they seem happiest when left to chat amongst themselves. However, of the four of us, I seem the only one continually bothered by the soft chiming and clinking noises made by the fine china tea cups and saucers and the sparkling silver spoons that are scattered and stacked all over the enormous dining table. Each time one of us moves even in the slightest, it sets off a chain reaction of tinkling noises that fills the entirety of space around us, a great accomplishment when dining and taking tea out-of-doors. To be honest, I cannot decide what is driving me more mad, the noise, or that I am the only one that seemed bothered by it in the slightest. And then, because of a silly watch it's only moments before we all get up and move 'round the huge table, finding new chairs and settling the whole cacophony off all over again.

It's difficult to decide, but when I realize I've stopped counting the number of times I've gotten up to move around the table to find a new seat, I know it's time to move on. I try to mention the noise to the others at the table, but it seems like the sound itself is against me, and there's a clattering of saucers and spoons, or the lids to little pots of sugar each time I start to say something about it. Other comments come off quite well, but none of them notices as I struggle to get the words out, or even bothers to have me repeat what the clamor overshadows. Really, it's for my own sanity that I finally stand, in-between chair rotations, dust my dress apron of crumbs and errant sugar, and say my goodbyes. They do not ask why I must go, only agree that it is time, and it's not until I'm over the next hilltop that my ears are finally free of the noise. I ponder the strange afternoon tea party as I make my way down the next lane, and it becomes quite clear I am correct in my assumption about how those three went mad. You only need to spend a few moments in their company, straining to hear anything over the chiming of the dishes to realize that it's the sound that's driven them over the edge


End file.
